Sponsorship of Motorsports
Rothmans was an active promoter of motorsports in the 1980s and 1990s.
From 1982 onwards, Rothmans supported the factory Porsche effort, winning the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans with a 1-2-3 finish with their Porsche 956. They would win the event a further three times in the 1980s. Rothmans-Porsche also won the 1985 World Sportscar Championship before the team officially pulled out of the championship in 1987. Rothmans sponsorship also extended to rallying, where they sponsored Walter Röhrl's 1982 World Rally Championship-winning Opel Ascona 400. In 1984 Porsche produced the 911 SC RS rally car specifically for Rothmans with the car being run by David Richards and the newly formed Prodrive. Rothmans also sponsored the winning Porsche team at the 1986 Paris-Dakar rally. When the Porsche involvement ended at the end of the Group B days, Rothmans transferred its association to the Subaru rally team, also run by Prodrive. Coincidentally, Richards was sponsored by Rothmans when he was co-driving Ari Vatanen to his privateer 1981 World Drivers' Championship success aboard the Ford Escort RS1800. The association with Prodrive would last until 1992, when their sponsorship was replaced by sister brand State Express 555.
Between 1985 to 1993 Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Rothmans supported the works Honda team. Rothmans then transferred their association to Williams F1 during the World Championship from 1994 until 1997. Ayrton Senna da Silva considered by many to be the greatest Formula 1 driver of all times, died behind the wheel of the Rothmans-Williams during the Imola, Italy Grand Prix in May 1994. Sponsorship was transferred in 1998 to Winfield, another sister brand.
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